PRIVATE EQUITY 2010

 NATIONAL BUSINESS INNOVATION & VENTURE CAPITAL FORUM

 

Opportunity to Present on September 22nd at the Yale Club of New York to more

than 150 of the Nation’s Leading Private Equity and Venture Capital Investors

 

 

A Personal Message to Presenter Candidates:

 

If you are seeking capital and would like to be positioned to complete a round of financing this year, you are welcome to submit your application to present at our upcoming conference, Private Equity 2010: National Business Innovation & Venture Capital Forum being held on Wednesday September 22nd, in the Grand Ballroom of the Yale Club New York. This upcoming venue can greatly enhance your ability to accelerate the funding process and meet your capital raising goals. Since we only have limited number of openings for Presenters, please contact me as soon as possible with respect to your interest in being on the program.

 

As a courtesy, we can tentatively hold a Presenter slot while you are considering this opportunity, subject to your confirmation and a review of the company on our part. To get things in motion, just send your Executive Summary to me at mike.segal@verizon.net and I will get back to you as quickly as possible. Companies will be considered for the event in the order that their information is received by our firm. If you have any questions or would like to speak with me first, please feel free to call me on my direct line in the New York area at 347 346 6650. THERE ARE NO FEES JUST TO APPLY TO PRESENT.

 

This important event will provide a unique and highly-efficient platform to meet qualified investors and financial partners in a very prestigious setting. We expect principals from more than 150 active early and later-stage investment funds to attend from throughout the United States. In addition, many high net worth investors and a number of prominent angel groups will be joining us. Even against the backdrop of the current economic downturn, our last forum was a great success with over 200 registrants, which included many Angels, as well as leading private equity and venture capital firms - representing more than $25 billion in capital. In addition to the well-established brand-equity of our venues, the strong investor response to our recent events would indicate that there is no shortage of interest from investment funds and private investors who are looking for serious opportunities in promising early and later-stage companies. From our vantage point, we can see there is a clear readiness to invest from many VCs, private equity funds and Angels who understand that historically, it is in times of economic downturn that that the best investment opportunities are available.

 

Please keep in mind that our events distinguish themselves from many other venues in several key respects. Here are a few of them.

 

1)       Nearly 100% of the guests (not connected with the presenting companies) are active investors who have PAID to attend.

 

2)       Presenting companies reach a NATIONAL audience of qualified funding sources focusing on early-stage opportunities.

 

3)       Only 12 to 15 companies are featured on the program which provides for high visibility to investors.

 

4)       The events are not primarily sponsor supported and accordingly NOT heavily populated with service providers.

 

5)       There are no concurrent activities or competing presentations. All companies present to the entire audience.

 

6)       Companies are never more than 10 to 20 minutes from their breakout sessions after they present.

 

7)       These are “deal-oriented” events. There are no panels or other distractions from putting the spotlight on the presenters.

 

8)       The majority of the attendees are PRINCIPALS of the private equity or venture capital firms whom they represent.

 

9)       Presenters can plan for the forums in advance as we provide confirmed guest information prior to the conference dates.

 

Our private equity forums, started in 2001, are among America’s best-attended events - noted for a first-class venue and an ultra high-end roster of funding sources. These deal-focused symposiums have provided a remarkably beneficial venue for companies to reach a national audience of qualified potential investors. The management of presenting companies benefit from being able to get their story across to an extremely receptive audience in a very favorable upscale setting. Over the last eight years, our experience has shown that the investor venue created through our forums can significantly reduce the cost of capital as well as the time necessary to raise it, particularly in this current market with fewer active players for early-stage companies and tougher investment criteria.

 

The upcoming venue can help you solve the three biggest problems in raising capital 1) identifying qualified investors, 2) gaining credible entrée to them and 3) meeting them under favorable circumstances. Moreover, the event drives the single most essential factor in getting funded quickly, and that is the ability to create contemporaneous interest among investors - which also can serve to significantly improve deal terms.

 

Of particular importance, is the fact that our events are not primarily supported by paid sponsors. As a result, they are not heavily populated by service providers or vendors who would have no interest in investing in your company. Because we draw from all over the country, this venue will be a most cost-effective way for Presenters to meet investors from outside of their particular regions. You should also be aware that the majority of guests are partners, founders and managing directors of their respective firms; affording the featured companies a chance to reach senior people from the outset. You can find a complete index listing our current as well as prior conference registrants, organized by “Industry Sector Preferences”, at http://www.starlightinvestments.com/?id=276.

 

If your company is selected to present, M. J. Segal Associates can provide you with introductions to any of the firms listed on the conference website, irrespective of their attendance at the upcoming event. As you know, in many cases, companies can pay investment bankers up to several hundred thousand dollars in front-end fees and monthly retainers to gain access to these types of investment groups. Companies presenting at this forum gain the same entrée at only a small fraction of that cost, notwithstanding the inherent efficiency of our highly-targeted venue.

 

In order to be showcased at the event, presenter candidates must meet certain general criteria that are described online at www.privateequityforums.com/qualifications.html. As our events are not subsidized by vendors or service providers, companies are required to pay a Presenter Fee based upon a number of visibility options. Our forum could be best described as a co-op for the 12 to 15 companies that present. We underwrite the events and the presenting companies share in the cost. They do so because our model ensures them an audience of nearly 100% qualified investors, for an expenditure which generally pencils-out to less than $100 for each capital source in attendance.

 

With respect to the Presenter qualifications, we favor companies with some revenues, but will also consider pre-revenue development-stage companies with new platform technology or some proof of concept. Revenues forecast by the third year following funding should approach $15 to $20 million. Preferred industry sectors are Information Management Systems, Enterprise Software, Business Process Management, Computer Technology, Wireless Technology, Telecommunications, Energy Technology, Network Hardware and Software, Healthcare Services, Education & Training, Medical Devices, Manufacturing Technology, New Media and Publishing, Internet-Based Business Solutions, Life Sciences, Distance Learning, Financial Services, Consumer Marketing, Specialty Retail, Outsourced Business Services and Supply Chain Management. Other sectors may also be considered with sufficient growth potential. More information regarding the Conference and Presenter Qualifications can also be found online at www.privateequityforums.com.

If raising capital is the primary obstacle that stands in the way of moving your company forward, you should seriously consider the visibility that we can provide at the upcoming event. As I am sure you are aware, most professional investors will not even consider deals where they do not personally know management or those which have not been referred by a reliable source. Our forums significantly help to remove these barriers to management's power to reach qualified investors. Private Equity 2010 can provide the third-party endorsement and credibility, which is so critical for getting funded in today’s market.

We estimate that more than $300 million has gone to past Presenters and Entrepreneur Guests over the last several years, much of which could be directly or indirectly attributed to our forums  Our prior conference guests and other funds who have invested in these businesses include such prominent groups as listed below by funded company. Of course, there is no assurance that presenting at our upcoming forum will result in obtaining capital. This can be affected by many factors over which we have no control, such as the deal terms that you would find acceptable and how well a company prepares for the event, follow-ups with investors and responds to due diligence questions. Accordingly, this information on prior fundings should be viewed as instructive, but not predictive.

 

Aircuity: IDP, Navigator Technology Ventures, Venture Capital Fund of New England, Industrial Development Partners

 

iKimbo: Cross Atlantic Capital Partners, Draper Atlantic, MRW Enterprises, Schoffstall Ventures and Riggs Capital Investment

 

Visioneered Image Systems: Baker Capital, 21Venture and Arcturus Capital.

 

Adzilla: Alloy Ventures and Norwest Venture Partners

 

LNL Technologies: Mohr and Davidow Ventures

 

BioVigilant: Battelle Ventures, Community Investment Corporation, Innovation Valley Partners and Pearl Street Venture Funds

 

Ifbyphone: Apex Venture Partners and Origin Ventures

 

HardMetrics: NextStage Capital, Osage Ventures and SilkRoad Equity

 

Burly Bear Network: NB Capital Venture Partners, New York City Investment Fund, Constellation Ventures and Citigroup Investments

Multimedia Tutorial Services: Corporate Strategies, Maniv Ventures, Winner Media and other investors

 

TelaDoc, Dogmatic and Vystar: Tri-State Private Investors Network

 

Cybersettle: Spencer Trask Ventures, Tri-State Private Investors Network, Bowery Partners and Saint-Donat & Co.

 

E Ink: FA Technology Ventures, Hearst Corporation, Intel Capital and Motorola Ventures

 

Xtellus: AIG Orion Fund, Alta Berkeley Venture Partners and Israel Seed Partners

 

nTag: Pilot House Ventures and Group Sevin Rosen Funds

 

Operative (Formerly Trafficmac): Aardvark Capital

 

AgriPower: Vogel Capital Management and other investors

 

Hingi: Opus Capital Ventures

 

Health Plan One: Pequot Capital, Greycroft Partners and individual Investors

 

UFood Restaurant Group: Spencer Trask Ventures and other investors

We sincerely believe that if a company's potential is truly compelling, and that management's vision can be effectively communicated, it will not find a more cost-effective way to reach potential funding sources directly, than by presenting at the upcoming event. Again, this is a unique opportunity to get your message across in “one place and in one day” to active serious investors who want to see fundable deals.

I look forward to hearing from you and learning more about your funding requirements.

Kindest regards,

Mike Segal, President

MJSEGALASSOCIATES

630 W. 246th St. Suite 728

Riverdale, New York 10471

Direct Line: 347 346 6650